Celebrity's cruise insurance

[twentyknots]

We're booked on Reflection for January 29, 2023.  Our final payment is due October 31. 

I have a recent medical problem which began after I made the cruise deposit.  I am being treated but the doctors tell me it is probably a compressed nerve causing the pain and can be difficult and time consuming to pinpoint the cause.  It is doubtful that the issue will be resolved by October 31 when final payment is due.  We did not buy the traditional cruise insurance that we usually buy with pre-existing exclusions because it requires the insurance be purchased shortly after initial payment and because we're using airline vouchers from a previous trip that was cancelled due to Covid, the insurance companies consider that as the initial deposit date which was in 2020. 

 

If we buy Celebrity's policy it's my understanding that if we cancelled because of this current medical problem we would not receive a cash refund since the 60 day lookback would prevent that, but we would receive a FCC for 90% of the non-refunded charges (excluding the ins cost).   We would have one year to use that FCC.  I assume Celebrity would refund in cash the taxes and fees.

 

Is my understanding correct?

Edited October 8, 2022 by twentyknots

[Babr]

Yes, however, there are policies such as IMG LX that allow the pre-existing waiver if purchased at final payment. If you’d rather have a traditional travel policy with higher levels of coverage and cash reimbursement for cancellation, call Steve at Trip Insurance Store to see if your circumstances are eligible.

[twentyknots]

Babr,

I talked with Steve in early Septemebr when I was shopping for insurance.  He was the one who informed me that we would have to purchase insurance from a company that provided pre-existing waiver  at final payment.  He looked at options for the companies he represents and said the premiums were 2-3 times higher and difficult to justify. I decided at that time to buy Celebrity's policy for the any-reason option, and GeoBlue for the medical since it has no prexisting clause.  I checked into the IMG policies and it seems affordable at $330.  I'll ask Steve what he thinks.  Thanks for the tip.

[klfrodo]

Would you physician put in writing that you are able to travel "Today"? The day you buy the insurance.

 

One of the stipulations with buying travel insurance is that your physical/mental health must be stable enough that you are able to travel on the day it was purchased.

[GeezerCouple]

6 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Would you physician put in writing that you are able to travel "Today"? The day you buy the insurance.

 

One of the stipulations with buying travel insurance is that your physical/mental health must be stable enough that you are able to travel on the day it was purchased.

 

This is a very good point.

 

There was one time when Steve (thanks again!) told us we could *not* purchase travel insurance because DH was still being treated/etc.  He knew about that because it was right after we had cancelled our first trip using travel insurance, so we had asked him about the claims process.

 

We were eager to book another trip to replace the cancelled one, no surprise.

So Steve started to gather our information for the policy for the new trip when he asked if DH was indeed well enough now to travel...

Me, in a cheery voice:  "No, not right now, but the doctor is sure he'll be fine long before June!". 🙂

Steve:  something like, "He needs to be 'fit to travel' the day you start the coverage..."

 

Ooops!  That could have been a very expensive mistake by us, IF we had gotten that policy that day and IF we later needed to file a claim...

 

So several weeks later, when DH *was* okay to travel again, at that medical appointment, I asked his physician to write a short note on his letterhead (he used a sheet from his little prescription pad) stating that DH was "medically fit to travel as of <that date>".

 

Then we drove home and promptly made the deposit for that next trip and called Steve to thank him and then start the travel insurance for the amount of the deposit.

Fortunately, we did not need to file a claim for our *second* insured trip!

 

BTW, this is a reason that IF we are making a large non-refundable deposit, we start the travel insurance that very day, rather than waiting to do so during the several-day subsequent time period that is allowed.

 

GC

[twentyknots]

35 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Would you physician put in writing that you are able to travel "Today"? The day you buy the insurance.

 

One of the stipulations with buying travel insurance is that your physical/mental health must be stable enough that you are able to travel on the day it was purchased.

I'm not sure what he would say.   Right now I am generally fine if I dont do certain things, like standing for longer than 30 minutes, or sitting in an uncomfortable chair.  Whatever triggers the pain, it becomes excruciating in minutes.  It's unbearable.  Relief comes only by sitting in a comfortable chair and applying ice pack.  Not how I want to travel and cruise.  However I am on medications and hopeful they will work in the next few weeks.

I know the typical travel insurance policies say that you must be able to travel on the day the policy is bought, so the IMG policy I mentioned might be unavailable.  But what about Celebrity, do they have that restriction?  I think GeoBlue can be bought just a few days before traveling.

[klfrodo]

48 minutes ago, twentyknots said:

 

 

But what about Celebrity, do they have that restriction?  I think GeoBlue can be bought just a few days before traveling.

To be honest, I can't answer that question as a certainty.

I have come to learn though that insurance companies are not your friend and give you the benefit of the doubt. Somewhere in the fine print, you are giving them or will be giving them access to ALL your medical records for them to use in an investigation in cases of claims. 

 

BTW, I feel your pain. I had a herniated disc at the L4/L5 S1 region.  My only comfort, prior to surgery, was to lay on the floor with my feet up on a chair. I lived on Vicodin and muscle relaxer until surgery. My pain was reduced so much, I didn't even use the morphine pump after surgery.

Edited October 8, 2022 by klfrodo

[GeezerCouple]

1 hour ago, twentyknots said:

I'm not sure what he would say.   Right now I am generally fine if I dont do certain things, like standing for longer than 30 minutes, or sitting in an uncomfortable chair.  Whatever triggers the pain, it becomes excruciating in minutes.  It's unbearable.  Relief comes only by sitting in a comfortable chair and applying ice pack.  Not how I want to travel and cruise.  However I am on medications and hopeful they will work in the next few weeks.

I know the typical travel insurance policies say that you must be able to travel on the day the policy is bought, so the IMG policy I mentioned might be unavailable.  But what about Celebrity, do they have that restriction?  I think GeoBlue can be bought just a few days before traveling.

 

Be careful about when you purchase that coverage if there is *any* question about "whether you are fit", etc.

It won't matter when you purchase the policy.  No one checks then.  Most travel insurance policies don't result in claims, so it would be a massive waste of time for insurers to require any "proof".  (This is very different from many life insurance policies, where claims are not uncommon.  And in the life insurance case, a claim may be many years in the future, so it wouldn't be particularly easy to go back to see about "eligibility" in terms of lab tests, for example...)

 

However, IF there is a claim, then you can be pretty sure that the insurer is going to make sure that the claim is valid, along with the policy itself.

And if you have medical records that *might* show you weren't necessarily "fit to travel", then... there's likely to be some problem.  (And I don't know how they determine "fit to travel" if they need to do it based upon retrospective records, etc.)

 

And if your physician will *not* give you such a letter, then I'd be really concerned that IF there were a claim, there might be problems...

 

That is precisely why we asked for a contemporaneous letter that DH was indeed fit to travel that day, and then we started the process that same day, too.  There wouldn't be any question about the validity of the policy itself.  (There would still be a need to demonstrate the validity of any claims, with receipts, of course.)

GC

[Babr]

https://coverage.archinsurancesolutions.com/description-of-coverage/EKCJe8iaZ6aHu3cTFIBUK1Uw0uoMftK77ka3NcXykkUZ7cW3e81189rlXdDBTjqw3Q44
 

Here is a link to the policy. Note that in the first section describing the cancellation fee waiver for cash reimbursement there is language concerning pre-existing conditions.

 

In the second section describing the cancellation enhancement for 90% FCC, the stipulations are that the plan must be purchased prior to final payment, and you must notify them of cancellation prior to the ship’s departure.

 

I don’t see any language about being able to travel on the day of purchase, only the 60 look-back disclaimer for the cash reimbursement.

[twentyknots]

47 minutes ago, Babr said:

https://coverage.archinsurancesolutions.com/description-of-coverage/EKCJe8iaZ6aHu3cTFIBUK1Uw0uoMftK77ka3NcXykkUZ7cW3e81189rlXdDBTjqw3Q44
 

Here is a link to the policy. Note that in the first section describing the cancellation fee waiver for cash reimbursement there is language concerning pre-existing conditions.

 

In the second section describing the cancellation enhancement for 90% FCC, the stipulations are that the plan must be purchased prior to final payment, and you must notify them of cancellation prior to the ship’s departure.

 

I don’t see any language about being able to travel on the day of purchase, only the 60 look-back disclaimer for the cash reimbursement.

I agree.  I've read the Ts & Cs three times and find nothing about travel fitness when the policy is purchased.  Same with GeoBlue.  GeoBlue can be purchased  a day or two before the cruise so it's irrelevant.  These two policies may be my only option